Directory rack



Sept. 16 1924. 1,508,779

J. R. DUMONT I DIRECTQRY RACK Original Filed Sept. 19. 1921 7 21 9.1. 8 1" w 6 P I Z.

I Joseph R. [Puma/77 Chicane! Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

STATES swear it. nUMo-n'r, on Kansas CITY, MISSOURI.

DIRECIORY RACK.

Application filed September 19, 1921,8eria1 No. 501,757. Renewed. July 10, 1924,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn. R. D-UMoNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Directory Racks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a directory rack and more particularly to a directory especially adapted for use in hotels or places where it is desirable to maintain cards on which indicia is arranged under main headings to be filed in a systematic order as, for example, alphabetically, numerically or the like, and in such a manner that the main headin dicia t ereunder, however, being adapted to be brought into view when desired.

The primary object of the invention isto provide means whereby the directory can be conveniently arranged Wlthlll a minimum space so that the indicia Wlll be readily accessible when desired. 7 i i In the illustrated embodiment of my invention I have shown it as consisting of a rack in which card holders are 'slidab'ly mounted and having their body portions tilted so that the lower portions of the cards may lie flat one upon the other, out of View but whereby the tops of the cards containing the identifying indicia may be visible.

l/Vhere the invention is adapted for use in connection with hotels and the like,the card holders will be so arranged that the names and'preferably but not necessarily, the addresses of the guests will be visible but the remaining portions of the cards containing other data, such as the forwarding addresses, receipt of telegrams, permanent addresses, mail receipts and other more or less confidential information will be obsoured 'but will be readily accessible. by sliding the card holders in the racks to bring the whole of the card into VlG'W.

Such. a general organization is shown in my Patent No. 1,209,818 of December 26, 1916 and it is the purpose of the present will be visible at all times, the in invention to improve on such a construction and to this end the invention consists in certain novel parts and combinations of parts, all of'which willbespecifically de-- scribed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,.in which Fig.1 is a perspective view of a rack unit showing the card holders in place and supplied with cards.

.Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of'a plurality of holders detached and part of a card-supported by one of the holders Fig. 3. is an edge view of three card holders, the positioning weight being shown in section.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view through a portion of one of the holders.

to illustrate the spacing stop between the front and rear walls.

gether so as to make a unitary structure.

In each insta nce,however, each'unit will be a. duplicate of the others. 2 p

The rack unit isshown as consisting of two'vertical angle barsl and 2, each provided with a flange to constitute one longitudinal edge of the rack and the other flange; of the two angle bars constitute the longitudinal face of the rack. "The ends of the members 1 and2 are connected by a Z-shaped member, the flange 3 of which is fastened to thefacefla-n'ges 4L and5 of" the angles 1 and 2, the web 6 constituting the top edge of the rack and the flange 7 being provided with openings 8, through which fastening devices may be passed to hang the rack upon the wallor' other suit able support Y I v The bottom ends of the angles 1 and 2 are connected by a plate 9,'having a, web portion 10 to constitute the bottom edge of the rack and-a flange 11, which corresponds to the flange 7 at the top and it is obvious that the flange 11 .may, also be provided with openings corresponding to 8, .throughwhich the number of holders or traps being less than will be required to fill the entire longitudinal space between the upper edge'12 of the plate 9 and the flange 3 of the top connecting Z-bar so that the card holders or traps may be slid a sufiicient distance to expose the entire card supported by any one card holder or trap.

Each cardholder ortrap consists of a plate bent at approximately its lon itudinal center to provide a back wall 13 and a front wall 14, the walls 13 and 14 being connected by the curved Webs or portions 15 and 15.

.= The plate is provided with a slot 16, between i the webs'or shoulders 15 and15 (see Fig. 2)

so thatthecard 17 may be passed through the slot. 16 and have its offset portions 18 and 19resting upon the shoulders 15 and 15, as

I clearly seen in Fig. 2.

a In order to expose theupper end 2 0 of the card 17, the front. wall is cut away, as indicated at 21. Therefore, on the upper end of the card 17 may be applied suitable indicia indicating the main heading, such as the name of the guest, the address, etc. 7

The front wall 14: of the plate comprising the" card support or trap is provided'with out-bent fingers 22 and 23, connected to the front wall by the spacing webs 24: and '25 so that the fingers 22 and 23 are offset with re spect to the .front wall to provide grooves 26 and 27 to engage the inner edges 28' and 29 of the angles .1 and'2, there preferably being guide. ribs 30 and 31 on vthe inner faces of the angles land 2, as clearly seen in Fig. 6, to assist in guiding the card holders or traps during their vertical sliding movement within the rack frame.

The fingers 22 and 23 are so disposed with respect to the front walls 14: that they incline outwardly in a downward: direction.

The purpose of this is to cause an inherent.

tendency in the card holders or traps to swingrearwardly .due to the fact that the inner faces of the fingers will tend to assume the positions parallel to the outer faces of the angles 1 and 2 and thereby tilt the plates rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, so that one 1 willoverlap the other and therebycause the cards tooverlap one another, as clearly seen in Fig; 31 The card holders or traps will be urged into such positions by the sliding weight 32, which has grooved engagement with-the edges of the flanges 4: and 5 and 'which has a rearwardly extending bottom flange. or lip 33 to overlap the top card holder or'trap at the upper edge and thereby tend to pivot it rearwardly so that the lower edge will swing rearwardly from the trap immediately below it and, in turn, ride over the upper edge of its next succeeding complementary trap and in turnv swing it rearwardly, thus all of the traps or holders will be maintained in the position shown in V Fig. 1.

card 17, thereby allowing the cards to be readily inserted and removed from the holders or traps whenever desired.

When the arts are properly assembled, it will be apparent that the cards can be readily inserted through the slots 16, exposing only the upper edges through the cut away portion 21 of the front face 1% of each holder or trap and that the cards will assume the positions shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3' without special manipulation.

If it is desired to examine the mdlcia or memorandum on the card of any guest as,"

for example, the second card in the frame shown in Fig. 1, the clerk will press-upwardly on the lip or flange 35 at the upper edge of the rear wall of the holder or trap, raising all of the holders or traps above it as well as the weight 32, as; indicated in Fig. 1. Then the entirejcard heldby the lowest trap raised as, for example, the second trap shown in Fig. 1, can be brought into view and examined for whatever'information is desired. i

When. the required information -is obtained, the clerk will release the pressure on the lip 35 and the weight 32 will beelfective in causing the previously raised traps or holdersto gravitate upon those below and restore all of the raised holders or'trapsto.

their normal positions. V

The construction of the. holders or traps which insures the rearward swinging of: the

lower portionsof the walls 13 and 14,'the.

spacing stop members, and the weightfor normally. maintaining the holders in proper.

body of the holder to provide guidereceiv ing grooves, the hat faces of the fingers being disposed at angles to thebody of the holder so that the grooves will be wider at the bottom than at the top to allow the bottom of the holder to tilt away from the guides.

2. A card rack comprising spaced guides and card-receiving holders, each having oppositely disposed flat fingers spaced from the body portion of the holder and directly opposite to the same at all points to provide guide-receiving grooves to be engaged by the guides on opposite sides of the rack.

3. A card support comprising a plate bent longitudinally to provide front and rear walls, the front wall being cut away intermediate its ends to expose a portion of the space between the front and rear walls, and outstanding guide fingers integral with the plate, the inner faces of the fingers being at angles to the front plate to provide vertical guide grooves wider at the bottom than at the top.

4L. A card support comprising a longitudinally slotted plate bent at the slotted portion to provide parallel walls, one of the walls being cut away to expose a portion of the space between it and its complementary wall, and parts of the front wall being bent back upon itself to provide vertical guide grooves to receive the vertical guide rails of a supporting rack frame.

5. A card holder comprising a plate having a longitudinal slot and bent back upon itself to provide two parallel walls, a boss struck out from one wall and within the space between the walls to serve as a tion of the space between it andits compleinentary wall and one of the walls having portions its ends bent outwardly to form guide lingers substantially parallel with the wall to receive guide rails therein, and one of said walls carrying a spacing stop in the space between th two walls.

7. A directory comprising a frame having vertical guide rails, a plurality of vertically movable card holders supported one upon the other and engaged by the guide rails, and a! vertically slidable weight normally bearing against the topmost card holder.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signa ture.

JOSEPH R. DUMONT. 

